How to care for baby acne and cradle cap

In the months following birth, babies are prone to infant skin pathologies and inflammation. Two of the most common and well-known conditions are baby acne and cradle cap. Although there is no need to worry because these conditions typically go away of their own accord, here are some tips to help you manage them if they do occur.

Baby acne

Baby acne may develop during the first two weeks after birth. It appears in the form of red pimples on the face, especially on the cheeks, forehead, chin and occasionally even the back. The skin on and around these pimples turns red. This phenomenon may worsen with heat or when the baby is agitated.

Baby acne usually clears up without any dermatological treatment a few months after it first appears. To avoid irritating your child's skin during their bath or shower, you can use
LIPIKAR Syndet, which is gentle on the sensitive skin of babies. Keep La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water close at hand to spray lightly over the face and other affected areas to soothe your baby's skin.

Recommendations

While it is not necessary to treat baby acne, you should still take care not to use products or treatments that could aggravate your baby’s skin, such as lipid-enriched soaps, greasy ointments or anti-acne products for teenagers and adults.

Cradle cap

Also known as seborrhoeic dermatitis, cradle cap looks like dandruff. It is caused mainly by excess sebum on the scalp and presents as red patches on the baby's head. Cradle cap usually occurs in infants around the age of eight months. Several factors can cause cradle cap, such as a history of eczema, hereditary predisposition or the persistence of the mother's hormones in the baby's body.

Gently massage your baby's scalp with a special cleanser or product each day at bathtime or when washing. This will cause the patches to soften and gently pull away from the scalp, eventually falling off on their own. At the end of your bath routine, you can spray on La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water to soothe your baby's skin.